Improvement in board-measures



G. .S. TIFFANY.

Board Measure.

Patenfed July 25, 186.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEO. S. TIFFANY, OF PALMYRA, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOARD-MEASURES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,01 1, dated July 25,1865.

To all whom "it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. TIFFANY, of Palmyra, in the county ofLenawee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and ImprovedInstrument for Measuring Boards and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan of thesame. Fig. 3 is a plan of the under side of a part thereof. Fig. Ais avertical cross-section on line A B. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of theindex and a part of the screw detached.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My invention belongs to that class of boardmeasures which obtain thenumber of square feet in a board by running a traverse wheel across thesame, the motion of the traversewheel being communicated throughsuitable gearing to an index, which indicates the number of feetmeasured on a fixed scale.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

A is a part which may be made ofwood, and for convenience we will callthe stock. It has ahandleturned on oneend,andin theunderside thereofthere is a deep slot or groove extending from a point near the handle tothe opposite end. On its upper surface there is a scale of feet, K,which has a narrow slit or opening running longitudinally through thecenter of the scale. This opening is cut through the stock A to thegroove.

B is a casting, the form of which may be determined by comparing Figs. 1and 2. It is cast with a chamber, in which is inserted the end ofthestock A.

O is the traverse-wheel, in which are a series of perforations arrangedin concentric circles, each series of which acts in the capacity of abevel-wheel. The perforations in each circle are of a uniform distanceapart, and their numher is in proportion to the different lengths ofboards the instrument is constructed to measure.

The drawings represent an instrument designed to measure boards ofeight, ten, twelve, fourteen, and sixteen feet in length, and the numberof perforations in the first or inner circle is twenty four, in thesecond thirty, in the third thirty-six, in the fourth forty-two, in thefifth forty-eight.

The shaft of the traverse-wheel has two bearings in the casting B, andbetween these bearings there is a spiral spring coiled about the shaft,which, exerting a constant pressure against the bearing nearthe wheel,and a pin through the shaft near the farther bearing, holds thetraverse-wheel O in mesh with bevelpinion F. The cogs ofthepinionFarerounded upon the back side of the wheel-that is, the form of half of acone divided by a plane passing through its axis. Thepinion hangsloosely on the shaft D. The shaft D has one bearing in the casting B,passes through the chamber ofB along the groove in the stock, and has abearing near the handle. It has a screw-thread cut on that part whichlies within the stock, and a slot from beyond the thread to the hearingin B. A set'screw passes through the hub of the pinion F and penetratesthe slot in D, causing the shaft to rotate when the wheel is revolved,but permitting the wheel to be moved along the shaft D, so as to meshinto any series of perforations in the traverse-wheel G. The rod H,thumb-piece I, and fork G constitute a shifter for the pinion F.

A vertical central section of the index is given in Fig. 4, an elevationin Fig. 5, and aview of a side of the nut belonging to same detached.(Marked m.) The nut at has no thread. It has a vertical slot cut in twoof its opposite sides. A metallic strap passes around the nut in thesevertical slots, and its ends are fastened to the thumb-piece L. Thepoint 0 is fastened to this strap, passes through it and through aholein the top of the nut, and rests in between the threads of thescrew. Between the thumb piece L and the nut at there is a spiralspring, which, exerting a constant pressure downward upon the strap,holds the lower point of 0 between the threads of the screw.

The operation of this invention is as follows: The operator adjusts thewheel F to mesh into that series of perforations designed for the lengthof boards he wishes to measure-that is,forboards of eight, ten, twelve,fourteen, and sixteen feet in length into the first (numbering fromtheinner circle,)second,third,fourth,and fifth series respectively. Thishe in a ydo with facility by pressing the traverse-wheel from the pinionwith the left hand, while with the thumb oftherighthand on thethumb-pieceI, by means ofthe shil'ter he adjusts the wheel, and thenlettin gthe traverse-wheel come back in mesh with the pinion. He thenplaces the wheel on the board so that the point J will be at the edge ofthe board, runs the wheel across until the point J comes to the oppositeedge. Motion is communicated to the screw D through the pin- I combinedin the same device, but differently arranged; Therefore I do not claimsuch improvement nor combination; but

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Making one ormore seriesof perforations in concentric circles in the traverse wheelO,each of which acts in the capacity of a bevelwheel, or placing a wheelupon the same shaft equivalent to said perforation, in combination withthe pinion F, screw D, index, and scale, when the same are arranged tooperate substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination of thumb-piece L, strap n, nut m, and point 0, whenthe same are arranged to operate as and for the purpose hereindescribed.

GEORGE S. TIFFANY.

Witnesses:

PORTER L. SWORD, R. B. ROBINSON.

